Operation Blue Light Santa raises €55,000 via children’s book series

After five children’s books and five years of voluntary work from a dedicated team, Operation Blue Light Santa has surpassed its €50,000 fundraising target, and reached more than €55,000 for children’s charities since 2021.

This year’s release, Operation Blue Light Snowdown, went on sale on November 25 and, within a week, pushed the overall total past the €50,000 milestone.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Janine Bartley and her team at the Longford Community Safety Partnership, printing costs with Rapid Print were covered, meaning all proceeds from this year’s book will go directly to the Little Blue Heroes Foundation and Longford Westmeath Down Syndrome branch.

The five-book series was written by Ballymahon author Jessica Thompson, who has been involved with the initiative since its founding in 2021, with the support of the Longford Community Policing Unit. While the team has evolved over the years, the aim has remained the same: to raise funds for children’s charities at Christmas.

“These books have been an annual passion. It’s not Christmas for me without Blue Santa and to be able to create something that brings smiles to the faces of so many children is really special,” said Jessica.

“Each year, I have set out to raise at least €10,000 for our chosen charities and we have succeeded in that goal almost every year, and the excess funds raised most years made up for the one year we were slightly short.

“I came into book five determined to reach €50,000 and I was absolutely overwhelmed by the support we received this year, which had us reaching and surpassing that goal within a week.”

Both the author and illustrator work entirely on a voluntary basis, ensuring that every cent raised goes to charity.

The first book, Operation Blue Santa, was illustrated by north Longford artist Nicole Forster and raised more than €6,000 through book sales alone. A further similar amount was raised through a Garda Band concert held in St Mel’s Cathedral in October 2021.

Printing was sponsored by Longford PPN, and a total of €12,500 was raised in the first year, benefiting the Little Blue Heroes Foundation, Cian’s Kennels, Lus na Gréine FRC and the Longford Acorn Project.

In 2022, Jessica and Nicole returned to produce Operation Blue Nose Reindeer, which raised €12,800, primarily through book sales, and including additional funds raised through smaller events across County Longford. Those funds were shared between the Little Blue Heroes Foundation, Lus na Gréine FRC and Bridgeways FRC.

Book three, released in 2023, saw Longford artist Pat Taaffe take on illustration duties for Operation Blue Light Heroes, which featured the Garda Dog Unit and several Honorary Gardaí who benefit from the Little Blue Heroes Foundation. The children featured in the book were from Counties Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon.

That year, €9,420 was raised through book sales alone, and all proceeds went to the Little Blue Heroes Foundation and St Christopher’s Services in Longford.

In 2024, Jessica teamed up with illustrator N.A.D. for Operation Blue Light Prankster, which featured two Little Blue Heroes from County Westmeath and raised €11,705 for the Little Blue Heroes Foundation.

This year’s book, Operation Blue Light Snowdown, introduced a new illustrator, Westmeath graphic designer Christina Logan. Christina has been involved with Operation Blue Light Santa since the first book, having designed the cover artwork every year using illustrations from within the books. For this latest release, she produced 16 illustrations in just under 10 days.

“I was honoured to be asked to come on board for such a worthy cause,” said Christina. “It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it was absolutely worth it for two great charities.

“I got to see first hand the incredible impact these organisations have on so many families. They bring joy, comfort and unforgettable experiences to the children who avail of their services and it shows in everything they do.”

Operation Blue Light Snowdown follows Zip, a speedy little elf who causes Christmas chaos as he races through the North Pole on his little blue sled. With the help of Aoife Fitzpatrick, this year’s Little Blue Hero from County Cavan, and her trusty sidekick Goose, Santa and the gardaí apprehend Zip and teach him and the other elves the importance of road safety.

“Operation Blue Light Snowdown has been our most popular book to date. The demand has been huge this year, thanks to support both locally and nationally. It really is an honour to receive so many beautiful messages from parents who say their children absolutely love these books,” said Jessica.

“It’s never an easy task. Producing these books takes up a lot of time and effort and it’s all done voluntarily. But every year, when I meet the children who read my books, or hear from parents eager to get their hands on a copy of the latest story, I remember why I do this.”

The continued success of the project has been supported by An Garda Síochána, and members of the Longford Community Policing Unit, Garda Anthony Scanlon and Sergeant James Rowan, as part of the core Blue Light Santa team.

Garda members across several counties have also assisted with selling and distributing books to various locations, helping to expand the reach of the project and raise additional funds.

“Operation Blue Light Santa is only getting started. We’ve found our feet now and are already looking forward to the possibilities for book six. I’m so grateful to have a team of people who see the vision and together we will make it happen,” Jessica concluded.